Azernews.Az

By Trend

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted Tuesday that Ankara cannot entrust to others a region which could become a national threat to Turkey, underlining that without its efforts toward reaching peace and inputs to become an intermediary there could be no lasting solution to the Syrian crisis, Trend reported citing Daily Sabah.

In an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV, Erdogan underlined that Turkey's main goal now was to completely clear the People's Protection Units (YPG) elements from Manbij, and make sure their weapons are taken back by the U.S. as promised.

However, he expressed disbelief in the fulfillment of that promise.

Addressing concerns about Turkey's S-400 missile defense system deal with Russia, Erdogan said going back on the deal was out of the question and Ankara would not change its course despite threats. He added that he hoped the U.S.' approach toward Turkey's purchase of the S-400s would change, saying that Ankara could also accept a good offer on U.S. Patriot missiles.